Jan 18 Drones as edibles

Windhorse Aerospace is putting a humanitarian buzz into its drones. The UK-based firm’s Pouncer craft is able, from up to 30 km, deliver aid to within 10 metres of a designated landing point with payloads that include food, medicine and water.

And Windhorse is claiming a world-first as the Pouncer can also be deconstructed on landing so that the wood can be used for a fire, while some of its extruded intrinsic food structures can be boiled and eaten.

Windhorse is no one-trick drone maker. The company sold its Ascenta high-altitude craft to Facebook for a reported $20 million, and the renamed Aquila made its first successful flight in June last year. In November 2017, the social network announced a deal to bring Boeing onboard the Aquila initiative that aims to provide Internet access to remote parts of the world.